Collapsible structure with interleaved sections



W. SCHUSTER Jan. 3, 1967 COLLAPSIBLE STRUCTURE WITH INTERLEAVED SECTIONS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 8, 1964 I I IH II Jan. 3, 1967 w. SCHUSTER 3,

COLLAPSIBLE STRUCTURE WITH INTERLEAVED SECTIONS Filed May 8, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 6/ INVENTOR: W/LHELM SCHUSTER AGENT Jan. 3, 1967 w. SCHUSTER 3,295,269

COLLAPSIBLE STRUCTURE WITH INTERLEAVED SECTIONS Filed May 8, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR; W/LHELM SCHUS TER United States Patent 01 3,295,269 COLLAPSIBILE STRUtITURE WITH INTERLEAVED SECTIONS Wilhelm Schuster, Dauphinestrasse 194, Linz (Danube), Austria Filed May 8, 1964, Ser. No. 366,099 Claims priority, appiication Austria, Dec. 4, 1959, A 8,802/59 14 Claims. (61. 52108) The present application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Serial No. 72,837, filed November 29, 1960, now abandoned.

My present invention relates to collapsible structures essentially composed of loosely interconnected members or sections which may be selectively stiffened into rigid bodies or relaxed for storage or transport. Such struc- 'tures have been described in my prior Patent No. 2,822,- 896, issued February 11, 1958, whose disclosure is, however, limited to rod-shaped devices with only a single row of aligned sections reminiscent of the vertebrae of the human spine; as shown in that patent, the means for selectively stiffening and relaxing the structure may comprise one or more tension cables along with releasable tightening devices therefor.

The general object of the instant invention is to provide a more elaborate type of structure, comprising a plurality of such rows of aligned sections, which in its collapsed state can be freely folded about lines parallel to these rows as well as rolled up about an axis skew thereto. Thus, the invention aims at providing improved units of the type described which are of appreciable extent not only in longitudinal but also in transverse direction and which are adapted to be used, for example, as mats, columns or profiled beams.

An important feature of my invention resides in the utilization of elongated tension elements or cables not only as relaxable stiffeners for a set of aligned body sections but also as a means for pivotally uniting the sections of adjacent rows, these sections being therefore provided with interleaved end portions or formations having passages which are aligned (at least in the stiffened position of the structure) to receive an associated tension element whereas other portions of the same sections, interleaved with sections of a further row or lying along an edge of the structure, have similar passages traversed by a second such tension element. The two or more tension elements will generally be parallel to one another, thus facilitating the coiling or bending of the collapsed structure about an axis which lies in a plane transverse to these elements, yet in some instances a certain divergence will be permissible; thus, for example, the sections of an exposed row along one or both longitudinal edges of the structure may be of staggered lengths in a direction transverse to the tension cables to define a curved or polygonal edge along which the corresponding cable or cables may extend.

The several cables may be tensioned or slackened, individually or collectively, by one or more tightening devices which may be of the general type disclosed in my aforementioned US. patent but may also be more specifically adapted to the structures contemplated by my present improvement. Thus they may include, or may be associated with, rigid frame members which conform to the profile intended to be given to the structure in its stiffened state. In particular, these frame members may serve to brace certain rows of body sections ice in planes that are orthogonally or otherwise inclined relatively to one another, thereby helping impart. to the structure a profile similar to their own polygonal shape.

The body sections interconnected by a common tension cable will, in the tightened condition of the cable, bear endwise upon one another in pressure-transmitting relationship, either separately within each row or interlockingly in the region of their interleaved formations. It should be noted, however, that the body sections of different rows (or, for that matter, of the same row) need not all be of identical construction and that, for example, a beam-shaped structure may be formed from an inner row of grid-like base sections flanked by two outer rows each composed of frame-shaped edge sections.

All the features referred to above have been first disclosed in my copending application Ser. No. 72,837, filed November 29, 1960, of which the present application is a continuation-in-part. They will become more clearly apparent from the following detailed description of specific embodiments, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a matshaped structure embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a similar view of a modified mat;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of part of a profiled structure incorporating an assembly similar to that of the embodiment of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a further perspective View, illustrating a O beam structure according to the invention together with an associated tightening device;

FIG. 4A, again in perspective, illustrates the structure of FIG. 4 in a collapsed and partly rolled-up state;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of part of a tubular structure according to the invention, together with a tightening device therefor, in its rigid state;

FIG. 5A, in a view similar to FIG. 5, shows the tightening device detached from the structure thereof;

FIG. 5B is a perspective view of part of the tubular structure of FIG. 5, detached from its tightening device, in a collapsed position;

F168. 6, 7 and 8 are end views of profiled beams into which the tubular structure of FIGS. 6 and 8 can be converted;

FiG. 9 is a fragmentary perspective view of another mat-shaped assembly embodying the invention;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of part of a beam-shaped structure generally similar to that of FEGS. 4 and 4A;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of part of an L-beam structure according to the invention; and

FIG. 12 is a view similar to FIG. 11, illustrating a modification of the structure thereof.

In FIG. 1 I have shown part of an articulated mat l0 embodying the invention, this mat being composed of a multiplicity of identical body sections 11 arrayed in a plurality of parallel rows. Each section 11 has two extremities traversed by a pair of parallel bores 12', 12 which accommodate flexible tension elements 13, 13". These tension elements, each of which alternately passes through interleaved extremities of sections 11 of adjacent rows, together form part of a cable 13 whose looped end is engageable by a hook 14 on a tightening lever 15 and whose two free ends are anchored in any suitable manner, not further illustrated, to an outermost section 11 of the mat 10. Lever 15 is pivoted at 16 to the body of a tension device 17 which bears upon the last section 11 of a row, a latch 18 serving to lock the tightening lever in its operating position as illustrated for the right-hand one of the two tensioning devices 17 shown in FIG. 1. It will be seen that, in this particular embodiment, there is provided an individual tensioning device for every other row of body sections 11. When these tension devices are released and the cable 13 is detached from the hook 14 of the associated lever 15 as illustrated for the left-hand device 17, the mat 10 can be rolled up about an axis that is skew to all the cable portions 13', 13" and lies in a plane transverse to their direction; it is then also possible to roll or fold the mat sidewise, i.e. about one of the cable sections 13', 13", such rolling or folding being prevented or at least impeded by mutual friction of the interleaved body sections in the taut condition of the cables.

FIG. 2 shows a generally similar mat 20 whose body sections 21, 21a, 21b differ from those of mat 10 in the shape of their interlinked extremities traversed by tension cables 23. Thus, the body sections 21a, 21b define two outer rows articulatedly linked with an inner row composed of the sections 21, the extremities of the latter sections having the form of tongues received in the bifurcated adjoining extremities of sections 21a and 21b. It will be apparent that the sections of each row in FIG. 2 bear directly upon one another, in contradistinction to the arrangement of FIG. 1 wherein the sections contact one another only through the interleaved extremities of adjoining rows.

FIG. 3 shows part of a mat 30 representing a further development of the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 2. Mat 30 consists of an outer row of body sections 31a each with a single tongue-shaped or male extremity, a first inner row of body sections 31b each with two bifurcate or female extremities, a second inner row of body sections 310 each with two male extremities, and a second outer row of body sections 31d each with one female extremity, the mating extremities being again interconnected by cables 33. The means for tightening the cables 23 and 33 of FIGS. 2 and 3 have not been illustrated.

FIG. 4 shows a structure 30 whose body sections 41, 41a, 41b are of the same general design as those of mat 20 (FIG. 2) but, in their stiffened position, are maintained at right angles to one another so as to define a channel member or C-beam. In order to hold the sections in their pressure-transmitting relationship while maintaining the desired beam profile, cables 43 are joined together in a common tensioning device 47 which comprises a crank 45 on a threaded spindle 44, the latter traversing a plate-shaped nut 46 to which the ends of the cables are anchored. The base of tensioning device 47, in which the spindle 44 is rotatably journaled, is braced by a set of beads 48 on each cable 43 against a C-frame 49 which bears upon the outermost sections 41, 41a, 41b. The four cables 43 thus pass through respective corners of the frame 49 and of the rectangular base 47, their tensile stress being absorbed in part by the associated beads 48 when the crank 45 is turned in a cablestretching direction. If the crank is turned in the opposite sense to relax the cables, sufficient slack can be created between the frame 49 and the structure 40 to enable the flattening of the latter in the plan of sections 41 as well as a coiling of the flattened structure about a transverse axis. This has been illustrated in FIG. 4A.

In FIG. I have shown the first row of cyclically interleaved sections 51 forming part of a tubular beam structure or column 50 of polygonal profile, adjacent sections being interconnected by cables 53 which traverse the structure at respective corners of the polygon. A similarly polygonal frame 59 adjoins the illustrated row of sections 51 and forms a nut 59' in which the end of a threaded spindle 54 is rotatably journaled. Spindle 54 matingly engages a nut 56 in a polygonal base of a tensioning device 57 to which the cables 53 are anchored,

each corner of the base having projectingfrom it a stud 53 with male threads removably engaged by an internally threaded ferrule 53 which serves as a terminal connec= tion for each cable 53 and which can be rotated relatively to the cable with the aid of a suitable wrench engaging its hexagonal head 53". A crank 55, rigid with spindle 54, serves to vary the distance between frame 59 and base 57 in a manner analogous to the mode of operation of the system of FIGS. 4 and 4A, thereby allowing the sti'uc ture 51) to be selectively tightened and relaxed.

As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the tension device 57 can be detached from the'structure 50 by a decoupling of the terminals 53' from the studs 58, the structure 50 then becoming collapsible and capable of being flattened and rolled up in the general manner illustrated in FIG.- for the structure 40. FIG. 5A also shows apertures 59 at the corners of the polygonal bracing frame 59 which receive the ends 53' of the cables 53 (FIG. 5B) when the parts are assembled as illustrated in FIG. 5. r

In FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 I have shown the profiles of staretures 60, 70 and each derived from the tubular struc= ture 50 of FIG. 5 by a simple change of shape.- It will be understood that these profiles may be maintained, in the tensioned condition of the associated cables, with the aid of correspondingly modified bracing frames and tight ening devices taking the place of the polygonal elements 59 and 57 of FIG. 5.

IN FIG. 9 I have shown part of a mat structure diffaring from the preceding embodiments by the shape of its interleaved body sections 91. The hinged extremities of these body sections are of complementary stepped configuration so that each body section is in direct pressuretransmitting relationship with at least one adjoining section of the same row and with one or more sections of adjacent rows; these stepped extremities are again formed with passages 92 designed to receive a tension cable not shown in this figure.

FIG. 10 shows a beam structure generally similar to structure 40 of FIG. 4 except for the configuration of its constituent body sections 101, 101a, 101b. The central or base sections 101, defining an inner or bottom row, are grid-shaped and provided with bifurcate ends mating with complementary projections on the frame-shaped outer or flank sections 101a and 101b, the latter terminating along their exposed edges in tubular beads 102a, 10% which in their aligned position form channels for the outer pair of cables 103. It will be understood that tensioning devices similar to that of FIG. 4 may be used to maintain the profile of the beam structure 100, e.g. in combination with C-shaped bracing frames as shown there at 4%, but that other bracing means may also be used if friction alone is considered insufiicient.

The structure shown in FIG. 11 may be considered as part of an L-beam and consists of two sets of interlinked sections 111a, 111b, the sections 111 being of staggered length so that the edge defined by their tubular extremities 1121a deviates from parallelism with the opposite extremities 112a of sections 111a. The row of sections 11112 thus defines a flange or rib of triangular outline that is particularly effective to resist bending stresses due to vertical loads placed in the vicinity of the apex of the triangle. Whereas one of the cables 113 of structure 110 extends within the beads 11% along the angularly bent edge, FIG. 12 shows a modified structure in which the corresponding beads 12% of sections 1211) are parallel to the terminations 122a of sections 121a so that all three cables 123 pass along parallel lines; the sections.

121b, are, however, provided with extensions 121 beyond beads 122b, the staggered length of these extensions defining again an angularly bent edge for the upstanding flange of the structure. Naturally, both structures 110 and 112 may be flattened and rolled up, as previously described, in the relaxed condition of their respective ten-=- sion cables.

The several embodiments described and illustrated may be modified in various ways, e.g. through combination and substitutions of compatible features. Thus, for example, the various profiles may be composed from sections interleaved in any of the different ways described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 9. Also, different types of tension devices (including those disclosed in my prior patent and copending application referred to) may be utilized with any of these structures. Such modifications, substitutions and combinations, along with other variations readily apparent to persons skilled in the art, are therefore intended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

The following additional applications of the invention are mentioned by way of example:

Plane and curved surfaces which can be rolled up and stretched tight to provide a rib system or grid system or a closed panel, which may be hollow or solid, bodies or skeletons for boats, ships or airships and the like, cages for beasts of prey, tunnel linings and props as used in mining, lattice structures as used for bridge building. The mentioned plane surfaces can be used as wear resistant roadway covering for provisional or spare bridges, or for difficult terrain such as sandy, boggy or inundated grounds, as auxiliary airstrips, or as ferryboats when combined with buoyant material.

I claim:

1. In a structure adapted to be selectively stiffened and slackened for bending about an axis, in combination, a plurality of body sections arrayed in parallel rows alongside one another, the body sections of adjacent rows being provided with interleaved formations and with longitudinal passages in said formations aligned in the stiffened position of said structure; an elongated, flexible and substantially inextensible tension element anchored to said structure and inserted in said passages at the junction of any two adjoining rows, thereby pivotally uniting the body sections of said adjoining rows; and releasable tightening means for said element, the body sections engaged by said tension element bearing endwise upon one another in pressure-transmitting relationship in the operated state of said tightening means.

2. The combination defined in claim 1, further comprising bracing means for maintaining certain of said rows in relatively inclined planes in the stiffened position of said structure.

3. The combination defined in claim 1, further comprising coupling means for detachably securing said tightening means to said tension element.

4. In a structure adapted to be selectively stiffened and slackened for bending about an axis, in combination, a plurality of body sections arrayed in parallel rows along side one another, the body sections of adjacent rows being provided with interleaved formations and with longitudinal passages in said formations aligned in the stiffened position of said structure; an elongated, flexible and substantially inextensible first tension element anchored to said structure and inserted in said passages at the junction of any two adjoining rows, thereby pivotally uniting the body sections of said adjoining rows, at least certain of said body sections arrayed along an edge of said structure further having exposed portions provided with additional passages aligned in the stiffened position of said structure; an elongated, flexible and substantially inextensible second tension element inserted in the last-mentioned passages and anchored to the structure at opposite ends of said edge; and releasable tightening means for each of said elements, the body sections engaged by each of said tension elements bearing endwise upon one another in pressure-transmitting relationship in the operated state of said tightening means.

5. The combination defined in claim 4 wherein said certain of said body sections are of staggered lengths in a direction transverse to said first tension element, thereby d defining an edge which deviates from parallelism with said first tension element.

6. The combination defined in claim 5 wherein the passages for said second tension element extend next to said inclined edge.

7. The combination defined in claim 5 wherein the passages for said second tension element lie inwardly of said inclined edge along a line parallel to said first tension element.

8. The combination defined in claim 4, further comprising a polygonal frame member inserted between said body sections and said frame member at different corners of the polygon for helping maintain a polygonal profile in said structure.

9. The combination defined in claim 8 wherein said tightening means comprises a tensioning device bearing upon said frame member and linked to all said traversing tension elements.

10. A collapsible structure adapted to be selectively stiffened and slackened for bending about an axis, comprising a plurality of first body sections arrayed in at least one inner row and a plurality of second body sections arrayed in two outer rows flanking said inner row, said rows extending transversely to a plane including said axis, said first and second body sections being provided with interleaved formations and with longitudinal passages in said formations aligned in the stiffened position of said structure and forming a plurality of internal channels at the junctions of adjacent rows, said second body sections further having side portions provided with additional passages aligned in the stiffened position of said structure and forming two external channels along respective edges thereof; an elongated, flexible and substantially inextensible tension element inserted in each channel and anchored to said structure for interconnecting the body sections of each row and pivotally interlinking adjacent rows; and releasable tightening means for said element, the body sections engaged by a common tension element bearing endwise upon one another in pressure-transmitting relationship in the operated condition of said tightening means.

11. A structure as defined in claim 10 wherein said interleaved formations comprise bifurcations on one set of body sections and lugs reecived in said bifurcations on an adjacent set of body sections.

12. A structure as defined in claim 10 wherein said interleaved formations comprise complementary stepped edges on body sections of adjacent rows.

13. In a structure adapted to be selectively stiffened and slackened about an axis, in combination, a plurality of body sections arrayed in parallel rows alongside one another, the body sections of adjacent rows being provided with interleaved end portions and with longitudinal passages in said end portions aligned in the stiffened position of said structure; an elongated, flexible and substantially inextensible tension element anchored to said structure and inserted in said passages at the junction of any two rows, thereby pivotally uniting the body sections of said adjoining rows; and releasable tightening means for said elements, the body sections engaged by said tension element bearing endwise upon one another by said interleaved end portions in pressure-transmitting relationship in the operated state of said tightening means.

14. A collapsible tubular structure adapted to be selectively stiffened and slackened for bending about an axis, comprising a plurality of body sections arrayed in parallel and cyclically interlinked rows alongside one another, the body sections of adjacent rows being provided with interleaved formations and with longitudinal passages in said formations aligned in the stiffened position of said structure, said rows extending transversely to a plane including said axis; a plurality of elongated, flexible and substantially inextensible tension elements each anchored to said structure and inserted in said passages at the junction of a respective pair of adjacent rows for pivotally 7 8 interlinking the body sections thereof; and releasable 2,877,506 3/1959 Almoslino 52227 tightening means for each of said elements, the body sec- 2,902,789 9/1959 Mehr 43--18 tions engaged by a common tension element bearing end- FOREIGN PATENTS wise upon one another in pressure-transmitting relationship in the operated condition of said tightening means. 5 531,975 8/1955 Italy- References Cited by the E a i RICHARD W. COOKE, 111., Primary Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENTS R. S. VERMUT, Assistant Examiner.

2,806,562 9/1957 Harman 182-41 X 2 822,896 2/1958 Schuster s2 10s 

1. IN A STRUCTURE ADAPTED TO BE SELECTIVELY STIFFENED AND SLACKENED FOR BENDING ABOUT AN AXIS, IN COMBINATION, A PLURALITY OF BODY SECTIONS ARRAYED IN PARALLEL ROWS ALONGSIDE ONE ANOTHER, THE BODY SECTIONS OF ADJACENT ROWS BEING PROVIDED WITH INTERLEAVED FORMATIONS AND WITH LONGITUDINAL PASSAGES IN SAID FORMATIONS ALIGNED IN THE STIFFENED POSITION OF SAID STRUCTURE; AN ELONGATED, FLEXIBLE AND SUBSTANTIALLY INEXTENSIBLE TENSION ELEMENT ANCHORED TO SAID STRUCTURE AND INSERTED IN SAID PASSAGES AT THE JUNCTION OF ANY TWO ADJOINING ROWS, THEREBY PIVOTALLY UNITING THE BODY SECTIONS OF SAID ADJOINING ROWS; AND RELEASABLE TIGHTENING MEANS FOR SAID ELEMENT, THE BODY SECTIONS ENGAGED BY SAID TENSION ELEMENT BEARING ENDWISE UPON ONE ANOTHER IN PRESSURE-TRANSMITTING RELATIONSHIP IN THE OPERATED STATE OF SAID TIGHTENING MEANS. 